Looking for my first Tacoma. This one was attacked by a parking bollard. Structural?

Hello all,

I'm hoping to become a full-time member here, as I just moved from a city to the country (rural Vancouver Island) and need a truck. It didn't take much research at all before I settled on a Tacoma. Wow. Glowing.

So far, I think I've settled on a 1st Gen - 2.7L 4cyl - Automatic - 4x4

I've found what I think could be a good deal (3.4L though), but the truck's lost a battle with a parking post. I figure I could drive the price down a bit, but I don't want to mess with any structural issues.

[Craigslist Ad Here](http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/rds/cto/4594269145.html)

Looks like they turned into a pole, and there's a pretty good dent crossing between the cab and the box.

I don't know much about cars and trucks, but I do know that the corners of things add a lot of structural support. Is this something that I should worry about?

Also, how does this deal look? What's a good price for it? What's a great price?

Thanks for your time!

 

I prefer the 3.4L, the dents can be intitally pulled out by one of dent pullers that specialize with suction cups, the rest would have to be finished with a smidgen of bondo, then prime and paint....

I am sure you can beat the price down a bit, it also is pretty high in mileage, something to consider...if the engine was taken good care of, they should last to a half mil with proper treatment....mine is at 257,000, still runs like new, they are awesome engines for longevity properly taken care of...

The dents in the Craigslist one will not affect structural, but they will rust if not repaired soon....

 

I wouldn't buy that truck, that is a lot of miles (228k) for that price and that dent.

Structurally the truck appears absolutely fine, but fixing that would be really hard.

Keep looking

 

It looks clean (other than the dent), but that's a lot of miles for a vehicle that you don't have any personal history on.
It is one thing to own a vehicle from new to 200k+ if you know the history and condition of everything, but buying it blind to any history can be scary. Either the current owner is selling it because he is tired of blowing money at repairs, or just selling it for another reason and it is in perfect shape; but you would not know. I would look for something with fewer miles (mine is a 2002 and has 101,000 - they are out there), but of course the price will go up.
On the question about the dents; there should not be any structural concerns - just cosmetic.

 

Offer him 4.5 to 5K for it, take it or leave it.